ISAACS MP Mark Dreyfus is facing a defamation threat over comments he made about the Greens’ response to the war in Gaza.
The comments in question were made by Dreyfus on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing program on Wednesday, 5 June. Earlier that same day, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Peter Dutton joined forces during Parliament’s question time to target the Greens for its response to the war.
On Thursday, 6 June, Greens leader Adam Bandt released a statement saying he was considering legal action against Dreyfus. “My lawyers have written to the Attorney-General regarding what I consider to be defamatory statements he made about me and the Greens yesterday. I understand a number of media outlets have chosen to stop broadcasting and publishing his statements because of legal concerns. I welcome their restraint,” he said. “I think that the first law officer of this country should not make utterly unfounded statements and spread disinformation. No politician should do that.
“I would prefer not to have to pursue these matters legally, and I hope the Attorney will respond in a proper way. The Prime Minister and Labor are not the victims in these matters. The victims are the over 36,000 people killed in the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the hostages, and the 1200 people killed on October 7, compounded by the failure of the Labor government to take action against the Israeli government’s invasion.”
Dreyfus’ office was damaged by protesters last month. During his interview with the ABC last week he alleged that the Greens had been “encouraging criminal damage of MP’s electorate offices.” Mark Dreyfus was contacted for comment.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 12th June 2024